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On higher ground, thirty metres south of the basilica, are the red-roofed, reconstructed remains of the palace founded by Prince Geza, now presented as the Castle Museum (Tues-Sun 10am-6pm; 400Ft). A royal seat for almost three hundred years, it was here that Bela III entertained Philip of France and Frederick Barbarossa on their way to the Third Crusade. After Buda became the capital, Hungary's primates lived here, and the Renaissance prelate Janos Vitez made it a centre of humanist culture, where Queen Beatrice spent her widowhood. Although the palace was sacked by the Turks in 1543 and twice besieged before they were evicted in 1683, enough survived to be excavated by Leopold Antal in the 1930s - indeed, it is more impressive than the remains of Buda's royal palace. Though foreigners are expected to join a tour in Hungarian, you can slip away to the rooms displaying visualizations of the palace in various epochs to reach the royal suite ahead of the crowd. Traces of the frescoes that once covered every wall in the palace can be seen in the vaulted living-hall from Bela III's reign, whence a narrow stairway ascends to the study of Archbishop Vitez - known as the Hall of Virtues after its allegorical murals of Intelligence, Moderation, Strength and Justice. Beyond lies the royal chapel , whose Gothic rose window and Romanesque arches were executed by craftsmen brought over by Bela's two French wives; its frescoes of saints and the Tree of Life reflect his Byzantine upbringing. A spiral staircase leads to the palace rooftop, offering a panoramic view of Esztergom and the river, and a fresh perspective on the basilica. During June and July, plays and dances are staged in the Rondella bastion, whose exit is guarded by a giant statue of a warrior. As you descend the hillside, notice the monumental Dark Gate : a tunnel built in the 1820s as a short cut between church buildings on either side of the hill and later exploited by the Soviet Army, which maintained a base there until 1989. The former primate's wine cellars, next door, have been converted into a restaurant, the Primas Pince .
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